Abstract: The San José State University Student Memorabilia Collection documents the academic and social experiences of students who
attended the college from the days when it was the Normal School to the present name of San Jose Staté University. The bulk
of the collection is comprised of school catalogs, certificates/diplomas, report cards, teacher curriculum cards, and faculty
correspondence. Other formats include event booklets, dance cards, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, scrapbooks, photographs,
and magazines.

Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

San José State University Student Memorabilia Collection, MSS-2011-06-23, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.

In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, The institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
Jose and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

Scope and Content

The San José State University Student Memorabilia Collection, 1881-1975, documents student life at the school throughout its
different eras as the Normal School, the Teachers College, San Jose State College, CSU San Jose, and finally, San Jose State
University. The bulk of the collection is comprised of memorabilia documenting students' academic records such as: school
catalogues, certificates/diplomas, report cards, teacher exercises cards, and faculty correspondence. Student life on campus
is also documented through event booklets, dance cards, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, and other miscellaneous memorabilia
such as scrapbooks, photographs, and magazines.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series and is delineated chronologically by the various name changes of the college:
Series I: San Jose Normal School; Series II: San Jose Teachers College; Series III: San Jose State College; and Series IV:
CSU San Jose and San Jose State University.